June 24, 2013

A Clear Climate Choice in Massachusetts

On Tuesday, Massachusetts voters will go to the polls to choose a candidate to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Kerry. And their choice couldn’t be more important. Now our Secretary of State, Kerry leaves behind an enduring legacy of service to our communities and the Commonwealth -- a legacy that it is vital the next Senator of Massachusetts carry on.

During his time in the Senate, Kerry was a clean energy and climate action champion. He fought for fuel efficiency standards, championed clean energy jobs, stood up to big polluters and their tax breaks, voted against the dirty and dangerous Keystone XL pipeline, and worked tirelessly to curb climate-disrupting carbon pollution. Kerry’s departure leaves a void we must fill in the Senate with someone who can match his commitment to a healthy future for our planet and our families.

Luckily, Massachusetts has just that candidate.

In the U.S. House, Congressman Ed Markey has led the way toward a clean energy future by championing climate solutions, fearlessly taking on big polluters at every turn. The examples are endless. Markey’s name is on the most significant piece of clean energy legislation to pass the House in decades. His name is on the bill to end tax subsidies for big oil companies. The National Journal even said Markey is the “first real climate candidate” in history. If Kerry has big shoes to fill, Markey is the Senator who can - and will - do it.

President Obama thinks so, too. In a speech at Roxbury Community College, the President wholeheartedly endorsed Markey, saying “I need Ed Markey in the United States Senate, Mr. Markey would carry on the legacy of John Kerry and Ted Kennedy and be my partner.”

Throughout his thirty-six years in Congress, Markey has shown he will put the Commonwealth first, standing with clean energy jobs and climate action and standing up to big polluters. But what he’s done in the House can just be a preview of what he’d do in the Senate. That’s why the Sierra Club is strongly supporting Ed Markey - and that’s why you should too, on June 25 at polling places across Massachusetts.

--Lauren Lantry, Sierra Club Media Team

Paid for by the Sierra Club Political Committee, www.sierraclub.org, and authorized
by The Markey Committee.

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